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The dual-mode iPhone 4S is a billed as a universal phone, but only if purchased from Apple.

If you ask most cell phone users what they understand the term “unlocked phone” to mean, they will likely tell you that it is exactly what it says: that you can use the phone on any cell carrier anywhere. Well, this is not exactly true with the iPhone 4S.

The iPhone 4S is the first device produced by Apple that is a dual-mode phone. This means the iPhone can theoretically be used on any CDMA or GSM network, in any country. In the United States CDMA is the protocol for Verizon and Sprint, while GSM is used by AT&T and T-Mobile. Internationally there are about 40 CDMA countries and more than 220 GSM venues. International phones have to accommodate different protocols and frequency bands for voice and data services, depending upon carrier and location. The 4S meets this requirement almost everywhere.

Apple did a very smart thing when they designed the 4S. Rather than having to produce a GSM version and a CDMA version of their popular phone as they had done in the past, they combined the two protocols in one chip set, which should save the company potentially billions of dollars, and make distribution and logistics infinitely simpler. It also means that the consumer only needs one phone to travel anywhere in the world, absent a lack of roaming agreements between their home carrier and the system they are trying to use while out of the country.

Last month I purchased an iPhone 4S from Best BuyMobile for use on my Verizon account. I paid full retail so there would be no restrictions from Verizon with regard to unlocking the handset. My intent was to run tests in Europe and the U.S. to determine if the phone would perform as well as competitive CDMA-GSM phones that I have used (Android and Blackberry). Initially, my focus was on how well Apple handled the different issues required for roaming on foreign carriers and whether the Apple iOS 5 offered the same level of connectivity and data options that Android and Blackberry provide.

Verizon registered the phone on both their CDMA network and the pre-installed Verizon-Vodafone GSM SIM card so I could roam internationally as a Verizon customer. I contacted technical support before leaving for Europe to have the phone unlocked. Verizon stated that I would have to meet certain conditions in order to unlock the phone.

These were: I had to be a Verizon Wireless customer. The device had to be active on a Verizon line (unless I was upgrading from an older global phone that had a 3G unlocked SIM for at least two months). My line of service had to be active for at least 60 days and the account had to be in "good standing" for the past 60 days (meaning a current balance and no service suspensions in the past 60 days). Only one unlock per line every 10 months.

What this rigamarole means is that a non-Verizon customer cannot unlock a phone they purchased from someone other than Verizon, nor can a customer that has only subscribed to the service for less than sixty days, even if the phone number was ported from another carrier. If you upgraded a handset which has been active for at least two months then the phone can be unlocked.

Verizon Rules regarding the use of unlocked phones

While Verizon does not specifically address just exactly what an unlocked phone really means, they do require a customer to agree to a number of conditions. It is somewhat perplexing that this particular carrier seems to think they can regulate the use of your phone on foreign carriers that are not allied with Verizon, especially where prepaid SIM cards are used. I especially find this condition, below, rather perplexing because it indicates that Verizon maintains control over your phone and usage even if you are not using their network.

You agree that, to the extent applicable when using Other SIM Cards, Your use of the Global Phone remains subject to Your Verizon Wireless Customer Agreement, Calling Plan and Global Phone terms and conditions, including without limitation, the requirement to abide by all applicable foreign laws when using the Global Phone outside of the United States.

If you try to insert a SIM card from a U.S. GSM carrier into an iPhone that was purchased from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, this or a similar message will be displayed and the use of the SIM is blocked.

Unlocking your Iphone 4S

Among the three major carriers operating in the U.S., only one, AT&T, will not unlock any iPhone. Because I purchased a Verizon-designated handset, the following information relates to those customers that purchase Verizon iPhones, but the technology and result is the same for any carrier.

When I called Verizon tech support to unlock my phone prior to leaving the U.S., I was told that I had to have a foreign SIM card installed in order to complete the process and that the phone would have to log in to the Verizon network on WiFi. The reason for this procedure is that the phone must validate the foreign SIM.